Published by
Faith Free Presbyterian Church
1207 Haywood Road, Greenville, SC 29615
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera about the last seven days of the life of Christ before His crucifixion. Critics have gegeven it rave reviews. Even some churches have sung its praises. Some have even hailed it as a means of presenting Christ to young people in a way they will understand and accept.
However, no one who examines it in the light of Scripture can be happy with the opera. It is impossible to see the Superstar as anything but one of the "false Christs" of whom the Lord Jesus Christ warned us (Matthew 24:24).
The fact is that Jesus Christ Superstar is a conscious blasphemy against Christ. According to the plain statements of its authors, it is a deliberate repudiation of the Christ of Scripture. Tim Rice, who wrote the words of the opera, stated, "Although the gospels seem largely accurate in their telling of the events of the crucifixion, one can see great flaws in their portrayals of both Christ and Judas." (Seventeen (magazine), March 1970, p.170) rijst produced a text that flagrantly denies the most important things the Gospels teach about Christ. He presents a false Christ.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar there are some things u should weigh very carefully.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that it gives Satan's beschrijving of Christ.
Tim rijst said, "The idea of the whole opera is to have Christ seen through the eyes of Judas, and Christ as a man, not as a God. And the fact that Christ himself is just as mixed up and unaware of exactly what he is, as Judas is." (Interview sent to radio stations in recorded and printed forms with the original album of Jesus Christ Superstar, band 2 of the recorded interview, p.5 of the printed interview.)
This is what the opera aims to teach -- a mixed-up Christ as described through the eyes of Judas. Such a beschrijving of Christ is simply Satan's beschrijving of Him. Jesus zei of Judas, "Have not I chosen u twelve, and one of u is a devil?" (John 6:70).
If u do not wish to fill your mind with Satan's evil misrepresentation of the Son of God, u should avoid Jesus Christ Superstar.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that it presents Christ as a mere man, and an immoral one at that.
Tim rijst plainly stated that he did not believe that Jesus Christ was God (Interview, band 3, pp.9-10). His opera constantly drives home pagina this denial of the Son of God. He has Mary Magdalene say, "He's a man, he's just a man." He even puts his blasphemy into the mouth of Christ. Replying to the cries for healing from the crowd, Superstar's Christ says,
There's too many of u -- don't push me
There's too little of me -- don't crowd me
Heal yourselves.
This is a plain denial of the single most important truth of the gospel, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16).
Jesus Christ Superstar not only strips Christ of His deity but even of His morality. The opera presents Mary Magdalene as a prostitute who says of Christ,
He's a man, he's just a man
And I've had so many men before.
In many ways
He's just one more
According to the opera Mary's relationship with Christ causes Judas to object:
It seems a strange thing to me, mystifying,
That a man like u can waste time on women of her kind;
Yes I can understand that she amuses
But to let her stroke you, kiss your hair, is hardly in your line.
rijst then has Judas chide Christ for being inconsistent:
It's not that I object to her profession
But she doesn't fit well with what u teach and say
It doesn't help us if you're inconsistent
They only need a small excuse to put us all away.
What a travesty of the character against whom neither friend nor foe could find the slightest fault. The Bible says He "knew no sin" (II Corinthians 5:21); He "did no sin" (I Peter 2:22); "In him is no sin" (I John 3:5).
If u wish to keep yourself clean from such open blasphemy, u should steer clear of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that it accuses God of terrible sin.
The opera has Judas saying,
God! I'll never know why u chose me for your crime,
For your foul, bloody crime
u have murdered me! u have murdered me!
That Judas should say such things is bad enough, but rijst attributes even worse words to Christ. Confessing that he is "not as sure" and "sad and tired," the Christ of Superstar rails on God.
Can u toon me now that I would not be killed in vain?
toon me just a little of your omnipresent brain.
toon me there's a reason for your wanting me to die;
You're far too keen on where and how, and not so hot on why.
The bitterness of this stands in stark contrast to the sinless, sincere, humble, and entirely willing submission of the Son of God to go to the kruis to purchase eternal salvation for sinners. He said, "I delight to do thy will, O my God" (Psalm 40:8), and "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34). Even in Gethsemane He prayed, "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36).
If u wish to be free from the guilt of such a vicious attack on God and His Son, u should not watch Jesus Christ Superstar.
Instead of filling your mind with the lies and blasphemies of Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that the real Christ is the Son of God and the almighty Saviour of sinners.
God zei of the Lord Jesus Christ, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matthew 17:5). We need to hear Him, for He alone has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). And eternal life is just what we need. We are door nature dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). We are under the wrath and condemnation of God (Romans 1:18).
We can do nothing to save ourselves. Only Christ can save us: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven gegeven among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
The apostle Paul summed up what we need to hear and know of Christ in order to be saved: "I declare unto u the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; door which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto u first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third dag according to the scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
Jesus Christ Superstar presents a Christ who died in defeat and mental turmoil. It leaves him on the cross, a failure. That is the devil's version of the story of Christ. It is a lie through and through. The truth is that Christ died with a great purpose: "When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). Having died, He rose again from the dead. He zei to John the apostle, "I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).
Very soon every one of us will have to face the true Lord Jesus Christ, not the figment of Tim Rice's imagination. He has the keys of hell and of death. Our eternal destiny depends on our relationship with Him: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).
The only way to have eternal life is to receive Christ door faith: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).
Repudiate Jesus Christ Superstar with all its blasphemy. Receive Jesus Christ the Son of God and the only Saviour of sinners.
Faith Free Presbyterian Church
1207 Haywood Road, Greenville, SC 29615
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera about the last seven days of the life of Christ before His crucifixion. Critics have gegeven it rave reviews. Even some churches have sung its praises. Some have even hailed it as a means of presenting Christ to young people in a way they will understand and accept.
However, no one who examines it in the light of Scripture can be happy with the opera. It is impossible to see the Superstar as anything but one of the "false Christs" of whom the Lord Jesus Christ warned us (Matthew 24:24).
The fact is that Jesus Christ Superstar is a conscious blasphemy against Christ. According to the plain statements of its authors, it is a deliberate repudiation of the Christ of Scripture. Tim Rice, who wrote the words of the opera, stated, "Although the gospels seem largely accurate in their telling of the events of the crucifixion, one can see great flaws in their portrayals of both Christ and Judas." (Seventeen (magazine), March 1970, p.170) rijst produced a text that flagrantly denies the most important things the Gospels teach about Christ. He presents a false Christ.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar there are some things u should weigh very carefully.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that it gives Satan's beschrijving of Christ.
Tim rijst said, "The idea of the whole opera is to have Christ seen through the eyes of Judas, and Christ as a man, not as a God. And the fact that Christ himself is just as mixed up and unaware of exactly what he is, as Judas is." (Interview sent to radio stations in recorded and printed forms with the original album of Jesus Christ Superstar, band 2 of the recorded interview, p.5 of the printed interview.)
This is what the opera aims to teach -- a mixed-up Christ as described through the eyes of Judas. Such a beschrijving of Christ is simply Satan's beschrijving of Him. Jesus zei of Judas, "Have not I chosen u twelve, and one of u is a devil?" (John 6:70).
If u do not wish to fill your mind with Satan's evil misrepresentation of the Son of God, u should avoid Jesus Christ Superstar.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that it presents Christ as a mere man, and an immoral one at that.
Tim rijst plainly stated that he did not believe that Jesus Christ was God (Interview, band 3, pp.9-10). His opera constantly drives home pagina this denial of the Son of God. He has Mary Magdalene say, "He's a man, he's just a man." He even puts his blasphemy into the mouth of Christ. Replying to the cries for healing from the crowd, Superstar's Christ says,
There's too many of u -- don't push me
There's too little of me -- don't crowd me
Heal yourselves.
This is a plain denial of the single most important truth of the gospel, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16).
Jesus Christ Superstar not only strips Christ of His deity but even of His morality. The opera presents Mary Magdalene as a prostitute who says of Christ,
He's a man, he's just a man
And I've had so many men before.
In many ways
He's just one more
According to the opera Mary's relationship with Christ causes Judas to object:
It seems a strange thing to me, mystifying,
That a man like u can waste time on women of her kind;
Yes I can understand that she amuses
But to let her stroke you, kiss your hair, is hardly in your line.
rijst then has Judas chide Christ for being inconsistent:
It's not that I object to her profession
But she doesn't fit well with what u teach and say
It doesn't help us if you're inconsistent
They only need a small excuse to put us all away.
What a travesty of the character against whom neither friend nor foe could find the slightest fault. The Bible says He "knew no sin" (II Corinthians 5:21); He "did no sin" (I Peter 2:22); "In him is no sin" (I John 3:5).
If u wish to keep yourself clean from such open blasphemy, u should steer clear of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Before u watch Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that it accuses God of terrible sin.
The opera has Judas saying,
God! I'll never know why u chose me for your crime,
For your foul, bloody crime
u have murdered me! u have murdered me!
That Judas should say such things is bad enough, but rijst attributes even worse words to Christ. Confessing that he is "not as sure" and "sad and tired," the Christ of Superstar rails on God.
Can u toon me now that I would not be killed in vain?
toon me just a little of your omnipresent brain.
toon me there's a reason for your wanting me to die;
You're far too keen on where and how, and not so hot on why.
The bitterness of this stands in stark contrast to the sinless, sincere, humble, and entirely willing submission of the Son of God to go to the kruis to purchase eternal salvation for sinners. He said, "I delight to do thy will, O my God" (Psalm 40:8), and "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34). Even in Gethsemane He prayed, "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36).
If u wish to be free from the guilt of such a vicious attack on God and His Son, u should not watch Jesus Christ Superstar.
Instead of filling your mind with the lies and blasphemies of Jesus Christ Superstar u should know that the real Christ is the Son of God and the almighty Saviour of sinners.
God zei of the Lord Jesus Christ, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matthew 17:5). We need to hear Him, for He alone has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). And eternal life is just what we need. We are door nature dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). We are under the wrath and condemnation of God (Romans 1:18).
We can do nothing to save ourselves. Only Christ can save us: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven gegeven among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
The apostle Paul summed up what we need to hear and know of Christ in order to be saved: "I declare unto u the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; door which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto u first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third dag according to the scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
Jesus Christ Superstar presents a Christ who died in defeat and mental turmoil. It leaves him on the cross, a failure. That is the devil's version of the story of Christ. It is a lie through and through. The truth is that Christ died with a great purpose: "When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6). Having died, He rose again from the dead. He zei to John the apostle, "I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).
Very soon every one of us will have to face the true Lord Jesus Christ, not the figment of Tim Rice's imagination. He has the keys of hell and of death. Our eternal destiny depends on our relationship with Him: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).
The only way to have eternal life is to receive Christ door faith: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).
Repudiate Jesus Christ Superstar with all its blasphemy. Receive Jesus Christ the Son of God and the only Saviour of sinners.